Leinster Feis

Irish Words in the Spoken English
of Leinster.

Abhac, a diminutive person.
A chara, my friend, (vocative).
A chara mo chroidhe, friend of my heart.
Adhbhar, a boil or ulcer.
A ghile mo chroide, brightness of my heart. (Said
to a child.)
A leanaibh, child (vocative).
A leanaibh mo chroidhe, child of my heart.
A mhic, my son (voc.)
A rúin, used in the same sense as a chara.
Aghaidh-fidil, a mask, or false face, used by children
for amusement. In South Leinster, when a wedding
feast takes place, a party of young men come disguised,
wearing aighthe-fidil, and play all sorts of pranks.
They are always well treated.
Áilleán, a person or animal from which no good is
expected. A person is evil-disposed. If a person
bought a heifer, and it did not thrive as it should, he
would call it an áilleán.
Ailpín, a heavy ashplant or blackthorn stick.
Amadán, a simpleton or fool (pronounced 'madán
in Kilkenny).
A mbaisteadh, by my baptism.
Alpais, a person who eats ravenously, or has a great
appetite.
Alpadh, eating voraciously.
Agus aineamh air (aineamh, a blemish or flaw). It
would be said of a botch tradesman - "That's the
tradesman, agus aineamh air"; also of a badly-executed
piece of work.
Amail, a misfortune. "There is some amail on
you," = there is some ill-luck attending you in every-
thing you do.
Amallach, unfortunate; unsatisfactory; untidy (as
a crop, farmyard, &c.)
Amallóir, an unfortunate person.
Aindis, miserable; delicate in health; miserly or
mean.
Aindiseoir, a delicate, weakly person or animal; a
miser.
Anglais, milk and water, mixed.
An-chuma, an ill shape or appearance on a thing.
"You put the an-chuma on it" = you have spoiled it.
Áird; "They came from all 'arts' and places."
Art is probably the Irish áird, a quarter or direction
of the country. The above phrase is heard in North,
but not in South, Leinster.
Ara, an exclamation; "arrah."
A bhoch, alas.
As go bráth with him = away he went.
Arc, voracity. "There's some arc on you, you eat
so much."
Arcacán, one who can eat a great quantity, or who
eats very often.
A mbasa, an exclamation. "By my hands." (?)

Bach, a word used in calling pigs to food.
Biadh, a word used in calling turkeys.
Báidh, a liking; affection. "He has a great báidh for
the Walshes."
Banbh, a young pig; a sucking pig.
Bainbhín, same meaning.
Bacach, a beggar.
Balcais, a large, ill-fitting garment; a person with
untidy clothes.
Bais, the open hand; a blow with the open hand.
Bail, luck; "What bail would there be on him if
he were not a drunkard" (ironically).
Bailiughad, a meeting, or crowd of people.
Bachram, a row; a disorderly scene; "He was in
the bachram as well as another."
Bastún, a botch; a dull-witted fellow. This is also
the Irish form of the surname "Weston," found in
Kilkenny.
Báirseach, a ferocious, loud-tongued person; a barge,
or fishwife.
Baitín, a short stick.
Bata Builg, a stick used to fasten a door on the in-
side, when the door is not provided with a lock.
Bear, a bundle of straw, &c.
Beag-an-mhaith, a useless person, one who is lazy or
has no energy.
Bé-léise, a corpulent woman.
Bior, a pointed chin; pointed features.
Biorach, pointed in features.
Bogán, a soft or embryo egg.
Bolcán, a fuzz ball. "As soft as a bolcán."
Bonn-leac, a hard blister which rises on the feet of
children who go barefoot.
Bocán, an iron fastened in the jamb of a door on
which the hinge turns.
Bóithreán, dried cowdung; used as fuel.
Balbhán, a deaf person. "He is a bothered balbhán-
aidhe."
Bhicsín, a vixen (Eng.)
Bóithrín, a lane or bye-road.
Breac, "a bracked heifer" = a speckled heifer.
Breall, a half-witted fellow.
Breallán, "I sold the few brealláns that were in
the house" = I sold all the furniture that was in
the house.
Breilic, a simpleton.
Bráca, a hut or hovel.
Brocais, a fat, or a gluttenous person.
Bó-chaointe, the banshee.
Brus, straw, or anything else broken up. "That
straw is only short brus." "He sat on my hat, and
made brus of it."
Brosnaidh, a bundle of wood, bushes, boughs, &c.,
for fire.
Buinneán, an ash plant.
Buinneachán, a miserable, weakly person or animal.
Buisteachán, a fat, short person or animal, with a
full paunch.

Buillín, a loaf.
Butún, a young, unfledged bird.
Buachallán, the ragweed. The fairies amuse them-
selves by jumping over these yellow-crowned plants
on summer nights.
Buachallán gan easgar, a species of the buachallán
which does not blossom, or grow to a stalk. It is
used for poulticing.
Búdán, the withered leaf of wheaten or other straw.
Buailim-sgiath, a harum-scarum, devil-may-care fel-
low.
Buill-liúgh, an alarm; a confused shouting or
calling by a number of persons.
Bulla-Báisidhe, a whirling round, which causes the
head to reel; dizziness in the head.
Bothán, a hut.
Biliúradh, calling, ordering, or arguing loudly and
angrily (as a master to his servants).
Buidhe mór, a plant with a yellow flower. "As
yellow as the buidhe mór" is a very common saying.
Briosgán, the root of the tansy plant, which is very
brittle. (From Briosg.)
Bladar, over-much senseless talk.
Bladaráil, talking incessantly.
Bladarálaidhe, one who is always talking non-
sensically.
Bodharán, a tambourine; the frame of a sieve, with
a piece of sack fastened on for a bottom, used for
winnowing corn, &c.
Búndún, the vent.
Buachaill, a boy. Used in a contemptuous sense,
as "he is a buachaill" = He is a villain.
Brídeóg, an effigy dressed up on St.Brigid's even.
I forget the ceremony gone through. The word is
applied to young girls and women. "You are like a
brídeog, mean, I think, "you are good for nothing;
there is no life in you."
Bodach, a clown, or boorish man.
Búmbairle, a tall, awkward fellow.
Bhóitín, a pious person; a rogue who tries to make
it appear that he is exceedingly pious.

Cab, the mouth.
Cabach, cunning. "She is very cabach," said of a
child who listened to what grown people said, and re-
peated it elsewhere.
Cacallach, mill dust.
Cadaráil, talking quickly; chattering.
Calap, some part of a flail; applied to an unsym-
pathetic person.
Camarún, an ignorant person.
Cáinthín, a particle of dirt. "There is a cáinthín in
my eye."
Caoineadh (n.), a lament; (v.) lamenting for a
deceased person.
Caointeachán, the wail or lament of a bean-chaointe:
lamenting loudly; the crying of a dog at night.
Cailleach, a hag; a small fish found in streams, and
which is used as bait to catch eels; a wad of straw
bound with a súgán, and used to raise the top of a
thatched house or a hayrick, preparatory to thatching.
Cat. "A chait as sain," said to a cat.
Calán, a kind of pail carried in the hand.
Canc, a turned-up nose.
Capall an tsúis, a covering made of some blankets,
which a man puts over him, and raises up and down
with a pole to frighten people at night.
Cáibín, an old hat.
Caith-siar, a fallow field.
Caonach (caomhnach), mould which comes on decaying
vegetable matter.
Caol-fhód, the first two sods, turned one against the
other, in opening a piece of lea ploughing.
Casrachán, a coarse-mannered person.
Carraig, a rocky hillside.
Cis, a wicker basket used for carrying potatoes,
turf, &c.
Ciseán, a corpulent person.
Canmhar, chatting (Pr. canúr.)
Cearrbhach, a gambler.
Cearradh. "He put a cearradh on me." = he
stopped me, and kept me talking to him; he delayed
me.
Ceallúir, a large, empty, dilapidated house.
Caoirliún, a tall man.
Cannrán, carping; constantly grumbling and fault-
finding.
Colbha, the side rail of a bed.
Cóisín, a woodlouse.
Ceólán, an insignificant fellow.
Cois, a leap on one leg, the other being kept from
touching the ground. "Hop, cois, and leap."

(Ní críoch.)

Seann-draoi.